Mary Lou Peterson

Mary Lou Burrows Peterson, 89, a woman of excellence and grace, League City, TX, entered into the gates of heaven on September 13, 2020. She was born April 26, 1931 in Ranger, TX to Arthur George Burrows of Birmingham, England and Isabelle Allred Burrows of Big Sandy, TX. A cousin of the late Texas Governor James V. Allred.

Mary spent her youth in Fort Worth, TX, where she was educated and studied art and ballet. She later moved to Houston where she married Marvin T. Peterson, her devoted husband of 49 years.

She worked variously as a professional dancer, as public service director and later as courtroom artist at KTRK-TV, Channel 13, Houston as a published author, and as a writer/editor at NASA-Johnson Space Center for more than 20 years where she was the guiding hand for many safety and health publications. Mary never met a stranger she could not talk with. She was truly interested in people and what they had to say.

After moving into assisted living, Mary wanted mostly to give her possessions to those people she cared about. Her response to her granddaughter, Jamie was as follows, “It’s hard to part with things lovingly collected and enjoyed, but that’s part of life’s end. U-Hauls don’t enter heaven. Too, I lost interest in many things that had once seemed important. That’s God’s way of preparing you to come home. And, of course Jesus warned against accumulating earthly treasures. Love only is important, and I have been beneficiary of a lot of that and more fun in this life than I would ever have imagined. A wonderful marriage, career, family, and friends. It’s been a wonderful life! Treasure your memories.”

Mary was a member of Bay Harbour United Methodist Church in League City, TX where she volunteered weekly in the food and supplies pantry. She was preceded in death by her husband, Marvin and is survived by daughter Patti Dunn, granddaughter, Jamie and husband Kyle Ferguson, and great grandchildren Reid and Caroline Ferguson, and a host of friends and relatives, and her beloved dog, Rascal.

Services were held for family only at Cason Monk-Metcalf in Nacogdoches, TX and Bethel Cemetery in Appleby, TX on September 17, 2020. Memorials may be made to a charity of choice, Bay Harbour United Methodist Church Pantry, or to a local animal shelter.